Violent protests in the Middle East linked to an American-made video mocking the prophet Muhammad are in part a product of new democracy, an Irving imam said Sunday.

American Muslims are accustomed to the kind of instigation provoked by the video, which portrays the prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a child molester.

“They understand what instigation is and they learn to just keep a low profile — choosing not to give these people the publicity that they obviously don’t deserve,” Imam Zia ul Haque Sheikh told a small gathering at the Islamic Center of Irving.

But some Muslims in new democracies like Egypt, Libya and Tunisia are “not used to using this freedom of speech and freedom of protest in a way that is in accordance with how we understand it here. So it will take time for them to get used to it and use it in a way that is positive,” he said.

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in a Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Hundreds have been killed or injured in violent protests around the world since the attack.

“Was it appropriate for the Muslims to act in the way that they did? Absolutely not,” said ul Haque, who condemned the violence while explaining the importance of Muhammad in Muslims’ lives. The discussion was part of a weekly open house at the Islamic Center, where volunteers give tours and hold an open forum for anyone to ask questions about Islam.

Instead of violence, Americans hold candlelight vigils, said ul Haque, citing the downtown Dallas gathering earlier this month when several dozen people memorialized the lives lost in Libya.

Since the embassy attack, local Muslim leaders have been redoubling efforts to build bridges between their communities — holding fundraisers, art shows and open forums like this one on Sunday.

Around the world, “a lot of scholars have called out to show restraint, to show patience and to teach people, through good manners, what Islam is truly about … through peaceful dialogue,” ul Haque said.

Ahmed Hussein, a volunteer at the center, told the group: “The prophet forbid Muslims from all extreme reactions to things. So those who are actually protesting and burning flags and attacking embassies and all of that, they are so far from how he would have handled a situation like this.”